A Dreamer's Life
by Girlsrule2424
Summary: All-new chapters updated. It's about the story of Joseph when his brothers come to Egypt - but what if he was recognized? Please R&R, rated for later on in the story.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I own nothing btw thank you to my betas ****disturbinglyprofound and cocoidie-18 and some other friends who don't have accounts on this site. This story is like all re done because I looked at it and I was like what was I thinking? So ya 3/3 stories updated by around mid February not bad actually followed a time line for once. So enjoy and tell me what you think by you guessed it reviewing **

**R**euben:

The door to our cell closes and all hell breaks loose.

I turn to the others with a suggestion. "My brothers, perhaps we should all calm down and think about this."

"You should learn to keep your big fat mouth shut, Simeon!"

"What? You are the biggest, loudest, rudest loudmouth, Judah."

Judah throws back his head and laughs. He cringes and says in a high pitched voice, "Please sir, please believe us, sir. We're not spies, sir; we don't know anything, sir. Can I lick your boots, sir?"

I stop listening with a sigh. I am used to being ignored. Our cell is dark; not much light breaches the one small window in the square room. There isn't even enough room for all ten of us to lie down. I watch the thick wooden door, wondering if my brothers would shout themselves out or if guards would come to silence them first.'

I'm propping myself against the wall in the corner closets to the door. I don't even think that my brothers notice me half the time.  
But maybe that's a good thing. Even though I'm the eldest brother I have no wish to lead or control.

_Two hours later_

Simeon has lost his voice from yelling at Judah, and they are driving the rest of us insane. Dan and Asher have moved as far away as possible from them, but that's still not far. Surely there must be bigger cells around here; at least bigger than .

All of the sudden the door slams open, and three guards come in and start to crack their whips, hitting us in the process.

"Shut up, you lot! If you keep making all this noise, we will take you all and beat you black and blue, understand!" the leader yells at us.

I have heard stories of what happens to Egyptian prisoners and I can only hope that they keep their mouths shut and listen for once. That finally gets them to shut up, even after he shuts the cell door.

Ten minutes later, out of the blue, Issachar says in deep thought, "What if this is God punishing us for what we did to Joseph?"

"Stop dwelling on the past, Issachar that was a long time ago and none of this has to do with anything else," replies Judah in a rough tone.

And then I hear something from behind one wall. Someone is laughing at us but since we can't see out the door I can only hear footsteps turning around the corner.  
I start to think about when we were with the governor; he seemed to know us but I don't know how he could, we are just shepherds and he rules in Egypt, maybe we saw him before he was in such a high position.

I don't know if we will ever find out, but I could tell that he reacted to our words before his servant translated our words for him.

_Flashback to meeting_

After waiting in the line leading to the grain silos for hours we reach the front where a man is sitting and takes our order.

He looks up at us and asks in a commanding, "Where are you from and how are you paying?"

Judah speaks for all of us. "The land of Canaan my lord," he says, and pulls out a bag of silver. It looks like the same bag they traded Joseph for. But just as he is about to put it on the table a man dressed in fine robes steps out from behind a pile of bags filled with grain. I would guess this is the governor everyone talks about.

"STOP!" he yells. "Do not give them anything, they are spies!" After the translator tells us this Simian speaks up.

"No, sir, we are all brothers who have come to buy food to take back home to our father."

"Why would your father send all his sons here leaving himself alone?" he challenges.

"He is still with his youngest son at home. He has had eleven sons."

I think I see something flash in his eyes for a moment but it's gone just as fast as it came. "It's nice for a man to have such a big family, but are you really telling me the truth about your numbers?" he says in a confident manner, as if he knows that we have another brother.

Judah takes over speaking for us. "At one point, there were twelve of us, my Lord, but he was killed by wolves while we were tending our father's flocks."

At this point even before the translator is finished telling I'm what happened if see the man at the table look at the governor with a questioning look and he just nods back. "No. You are all spies – this I can tell. Guards, take them all to the prison." He then looks at the head guard and says, "You know what cell."

All I know is maybe this is because of what we did to our brother. After all, we _did _sell him to people on their way to Egypt. Maybe this man knows something about him. I just hope that he won't be too offended. Though I don't think that it would be any worse than staying with my brothers.

So I quietly knocked on the door.

After a while, a guard opens it. "Which one of you knocked on the door?" he asks in a gruff voice.

"I did, sir," I tell him. "I was wondering if I could have a word with you."

"Very well," he says, pulls me out of the cell by my arm, and pushes me against the wall.

"Now what do you want?" he demands.

"I was hoping that I might have a word with the governor, sir. If that would be at all possible," I say as calmly as I can under the circumstances.

He looks at me for a minute then decides "Fine. I will take you to the warden to ask." He then cuffs my hands and pulls me along.

We go through many corridors and end up in front of a door that is being guarded by two guards. He knocks and we both go in. The first thing I notice is that the warden is not alone but is talking to the governor. We both bow to them, though it is a little awkward with my hands bound. I wait to be addressed.

"What are you doing in here? And with one of the prisoners who are in here for..." the warden looks over at the governor.

"They were suspected as spies." he replies calmly, and leans back in the chair he was sitting in.

"I wished to ask for an audience with the governor," I say, bowing again.

"Well," he said, "that's up to him. What do you say?"

"Yes, that is fine," is all the governor replies.

"What do you want to say?" the jailor asks.

"Well, my Lord," I start, but I am cut off.

"Not here. I will speak to you at my home."

He then gets up and turns to leave, beckoning me to come with him. I obey, getting on the chariot behind him with a guard and go off to his palace. When we get there I follow him into a beautiful room. It is colourfully decorated with a comfy feel, and has pillows and couches around the room for guests to come over or to talk with friends. He orders the guard and his servants to leave the room then he sits on the couch. I bow down to the floor in front of him, and then he speaks, saying with kindness I did not suspect, "You do not need to bow to me like that; no one is here so it doesn't matter to me. Please get up."

So I do as he says and stand in front of him.

"Come closer to me," he says.

I do, and he grabs my hands and unties the rope that binds them together. "I don't know why your hands should be tied, for I do not think you will hurt me," he says not unkindly.

"How can you be so sure?" I respond in a curious manner.

"You wanted to talk to me not hurt me, so what do you want to say?"

"Well, my Lord, I wished to know if you understood our language because it seemed like you knew what we said before your translator even spoke."

"Yes that is true I know your language and you, I see, know some Egyptian." He looks vaguely impressed.

"Yes I have picked it up over the years. And I was also wondering, please don't be offended by what I'm about to say my Lord, but I must ask, have you ever met a man called Joseph?"

His face reveals nothing.

"Why do you want to know?" he asks.

So I say, "My Lord, he was our brother, and I thought that since we had sent him to Egypt, maybe you knew him. One of my brothers thought that perhaps it was because we sold him as a slave that this has happened to us. So, if you knew him, I would beg you to tell him how sorry I am for what we did. It was a cruel thing to do and he was our brother."

"So, then," he asks, "do you want me to ask him to forgive you?"

"No my lord I could never ask for that. Only to tell him that his father is alive, sad for the loss of his son but other than that, he is well."

"Hmm," he replied after thinking, "so you don't want to clear yourself, just give him a message? Why?"

"I don't… deserve any more. I tried to save him but I failed him," I say softly, looking down at my feet.

"Very well, then, if that's what you want, I do know him and what he's been through. You and your brothers should know that he suffered as a slave."

"My Lord, have you met him?" I am happy that he is still alive, and at the same time, saddened by the news of his sufferings.

"You could say that, I suppose. Now I know that you would like to guess my name. Would you not?"

"Yes, if my Lord will allow it. Are you, perchance, my brother Joseph?"

He is silent.

"I did not mean to offend you, my Lord..."

"It's alright, you did not offend," he says calmly. Then, I know he must be my brother. So I bow till my head touches the cool stone floor.

"Please my brother, forgive me for failing you, and if you wish to punish me..."

"Enough of that, Reuben, get up. I forgive you and our brothers, I do not wish to harm you at all."

I can't believe this. It is my brother, lost for so long and he starts to cry. And he asks me if I have lost my daughter.

"Yes, how did you know?"

"Well… I found her."

Joseph asks me to take a walk with him, and I agree to. We stroll around the beautiful gardens, admiring the lush grass and flowers, and then to a bench where a young girl of seventeen is sitting with a slave attending her. When she sees us coming she gets up and runs over.

"Father, Father!" she cries, and I realise that this girl being treated like a queen is my daughter. So I run over to her and pick her up.

"What? How? You're alright, I'm so happy."

"I found her hanging around in Egypt so I took her home and made sure she was comfortable. I've given her all she wants. She has a nice-sized room by my sons and has a slave to attend her." Joseph tells me then he points to the young boy of seventeen who's on the ground.

"Get up," he tells the boy, who does so immediately, "Go to the kitchen and tell them I will have guests for dinner."

"Yes master," he says, bows and leaves.

"Aw uncle, but we were just about to go play a board game," my daughter complains.

"He will be back soon, my dear, go amuse yourself for now. By the way, have you seen your aunt Asenath? I've been looking for her. My wife," he tells me.

"Yes, I saw her around the house just a while ago," she tells him.

"Come on, brother, she desperately wants to meet my family, and she will be so mad at me if I don't introduce the two of you shortly." My good-hearted brother Joseph leads Maya and I back to the house to see the family we never knew we had.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I own nothing btw thank you to my betas ****disturbinglyprofound and cocoidie-18 and some other friends who don't have accounts on this site. This story is like all re done because I looked at it and I was like what was I thinking? So ya 3/3 stories updated by around mid February not bad actually followed a time line for once. So enjoy and tell me what you think by you guessed it reviewing **

Maya (niece)

As I walk to my room I think about how different it has been for me since my uncle found me.

I'm so scared that I don't know what I'm supposed to do. One minute I was just minding my own business around my home, and the next thing I knew, someone grabbed me and took me to Egypt to be a slave. I'd heard what happened to slaves in Egypt and I was scared for my life. I wondered what my family would think of this, what they would do when they discovered what had happened to me. At least I didn't have to go up for auction, because just as we were going into town a border guard stopped us.

"What business do you have in Egypt?" he asked us in a stern voice.

"We are bringing in a slave, to sell," one of the men who took me said.

"Where is she from?"

"We found her around Canaan."

He looked at me. "Then you will need to come with me to see my captain. He wishes to see all the slaves that come in from that area. He had one that came from there a while ago and ever since he has wanted to find another like him."

We were led into town and near to a man sitting behind some silos. The guard motioned for us to stop, and went to speak with the apparent captain, who after talking with the guard, approached us.

"Hello. I hear that you have a slave from Canaan that you wish to sell," he said in a businesslike manner.

"Yes, here she is sir," the man said in a spine-chilling voice.

"May I talk with her?" the captain asked, and when he received a nod he approached me. "Do you know Jacob?" he asked me in my own language, which was strange enough for me.

"Yes, sir; he is my grandfather." I told him in a quiet voice.

"Who is your father?"

"Reuben, his eldest son, sir."

He abruptly turned towards the men. "How much do you want for her?" he asked.

"50 pieces of silver," the man said. He had obviously been trying to get a lot of money from the rich Egyptian.

"I will give you 30," the captain countered.

After a moment of thought the man replied, "Fine, take her." He pushed me toward the captain, and I almost fell onto the hard dirt. Thankfully, I was caught by the man standing before me, the man I had just been sold to.

"Arrest him for assault," he told the guard who brought us in from the border.

"Come with me, child. There is someone who I think will want to see you." He told me in a kind voice, undoing the rope around my hands.

"Yes master." I replied.

"No, I'm not your master. I bought you to free you and take you to a friend of mine who is from your land." He took my hand and we set off.

After meeting Joseph and his family, he started to give me lessons on Egyptian language, and my aunt taught me how to act. But the best thing that happened was Aaron. We both like each other – I can tell – but he is always extra cautious. He is terrified of what my uncle would do to him if he ever found out but I think that he likes me.

I go to my room and sit on my couch, waiting for Aaron to come back.

Soon he appears at my door; I call him in and tell him to sit down.

"Yes, mistress," he replies and sits on the floor next to the chair I point to.

"I asked you to sit on the chair not the floor, get up please," I say. I know he means well, he is always so kind and he is also very handsome. I do like him and he likes me too but I know the laws in Egypt and others would not approve of this, I'm sure.

"Come sit next to me," I tell him and Aaron does.

"Please hug me, my uncle will never know please," I beg him, for what seems like the thousandth time.

"You know that I want to, but I'm just a slave, and you're my mistress. Your uncle would never approve let alone allow me to be near you again if he found out."

"But he won't, he never needs to know. Please – just one hug," I plead.

"Okay if you want me to," he finally says.

And he hugs me finally; it's amazing I love him so much. Oh why must he be a slave, he's a person just like me so why must we be so worried about what my uncle says? He seems very kind. If I asked he might let me give freedom to my love. Yes! That is what I shall do, I think while he hugs me. Just then I hear a voice at my door.

"What is going on here?"

Oh no – it's my uncle. Aaron quickly moves away from me and off the couch. He presses his face to the floor and I can tell he's scared. Oh, how I wish to comfort him, but I know with my uncle and father in the room, I cannot, so I speak with my uncle.

"What brings you to my chambers? I thought that you were talking with my father." I say innocently.

"Yes I was just bringing him to see you."

He looks at the boy on the floor. "Get up please; you don't need to be afraid."

He then turns to me and asks, "Was he alright with what was happening, Maya?"

"Yes, uncle," I tell him.

"Then there is no harm done," he says with a smile, I think that he's taking this all very well.

My uncle says he is not mad or even about to cause any of us grief. Then he calls Aaron out of the room and they both leave to give me some time with my father.

"Are you alright, Maya?" he asks with concern.

"Yes, of course I am, Father. I have been in Joseph's care; he has treated me well."

"Yes, I do not know why, but something did happen in Egypt that changed his ways. This is certainly not how I thought I would be received," my father said pensively.

"What do you mean Father? And if he's alive, why does Grandfather think he is dead?"

"Well, my dear, let's just say it is my fault, along with most of your uncles that he is here, and that he was not always in such a high position."

"What do you mean? He's second to Pharaoh, what was he before?"

My father just looked down. "If he hasn't told you, I won't. It's not my place. Ask him if you want to know."


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I own nothing btw thank you to my betas ****disturbinglyprofound and cocoidie-18 and some other friends who don't have accounts on this site. This story is like all re done because I looked at it and I was like what was I thinking? So ya 3/3 stories updated by around mid February not bad actually followed a time line for once. So enjoy and tell me what you think by you guessed it reviewing **

Joseph

Aaron walks slowly behind me with his head down. I can see how scared he is, understandable, for I saw him hugging Maya.

I don't mind what they were doing. Though they are always extremely careful around me, I can see how she looks at Aaron; she loves him. And because I was once a slave, I don't mind their relationship as long as it's what they both want. I will not object just as long as they both like each other. I lead the quivering Aaron into a private room and sit down; he gets down on the ground in front of me and throws himself at my feet.

"Please, master, I apologise for what I have done, please don't kill me," he begs me, shaking in fear.

I can't believe that I'm causing him so much fear; it disturbs me to think that I can cause another to be this anxious around me. I try my best to be a kind master and to give my servants and slaves little to fear about me. What impacts me the most, however, is that I remember the feelings that I had many times when I was serving Potiphar's wife and she kept insisting that I betray her husband and I knew that whatever I did I would be punished, it was a feeling of impending doom that I just couldn't shake and I hope to help him get rid of this feeling soon.

So I tell him, "It's alright, Aaron, get up please and sit down. I will not hurt you. That was never my intention so you can relax." I try to seem as kindly as possible, so the boy will calm down and not be so anxious in my presence.

"Thank you, master, you are too kind. But I'm just a slave, and for touching my mistress, I deserve to be punished."

"No that is not true. I'm fine with your relationship with Maya, just so long as you are careful and it doesn't become known or I would be forced to do something about it." I am stern about this; Maya is my niece, after all. I want what's best for her.

With that said, Aaron relaxes and sits down in the chair I pointed to.

"Thank you, master, you are very kind."

Then one of the servants comes in to the room.

"Dinner is served, master," he says with a bow

"This was a nice talk we had Aaron, I hope that we have come to an understanding now." I tell him and leave the room to go have dinner.

After the meal we all go in to the reception room so we can talk, I dismiss the servants so that we may talk in private.

"So, Reuben, this is my wife Asenath, and my two sons Manasseh and Ephraim." I say motioning to each member of my family in turn.

"And everyone this is my brother Reuben, he's Maya's father and will be staying with us for a while, along with Maya," I tell my wife and children.

"Uncle, how did you come to Egypt and what did you do before you were in this position?" Maya asks me, and around the room you could hear a pin drop.

Reuben coughs and splutters. It seems he inhaled some of the wine he's been drinking, and Asenath uses the opportunity to leave the room under the guise of getting a servant to clean up his mess. But I know when she does not come back after a few minutes that she has gone to our room, to shut herself away.

"You didn't tell her?" I ask, turning to Reuben.

He goes slightly red. "It's not my story to tell, brother."

I had to smile.

"Well, when I came to Egypt I was about as opposite as you can be to what I am now. I came here as a slave..."

I then tell her about how I was in charge of my master's house and how his wife wanted me though I did not use their names. For that did not feel right. Potiphar, my old master, and I are good friends now and I don't hold anything against him. He was the one who brought you to me. I then call the servants back into the room after asking Maya to not tell this information to anyone.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN look at disclaimer in chapter 1 thank you to my amazing beta ****disturbinglyprofound****!**

Dan

It's been a day since Rubin was taken out of our cell by the guard. I wonder what's going on. I had been on the other side of the cell, and even though that was still just eight feet away, I still couldn't hear what they were talking about.

I just hope that they haven't killed him yet. Ever since I woke up, I've been thinking about where he is. I know that he is an outcast from our group, which is strange since he should be our leader, but he just lets Judah take that role. But still, Rubin is my brother. I wonder if they have been torturing him, but before I can let my mind wander too much on that subject, our door is opened and a guard steps into view.

"Do you know what happened to our brother?" Judah asks the guard in a rough tone that I would have never have even thought to use with any Egyptian, for fear of punishment.

"No, he went with the governor," the guard replied, looking annoyed to even be speaking with us, and without another word he slams the door closed.

I can't help but wonder how all these people know our language.

Now, I just don't know what to think. We have been in this cell for a week and are starting to feel like chickens. At least we are being fed, however, though the guards always bring us some food and by the third day even my most stubborn brothers had given into eating. All I do is talk all day, and draw a bit in the sand that our floor is covered in. I love to draw but the only place I've ever been able to do it was on the sand. Some people have said that I have talent but my father has never noticed.

Since I'm Bilhah's son most of my brothers think that they are above me because she was Rachel's handmaiden, who had children in her place. I'm always stuck with some of the worst jobs, like watching my group of sheep in a hillier part of the field, for example. My only real brother is Naphtali, so at least I'm noticed a bit more than him since I'm older. Joseph and Benjamin have always gotten all the attention. Not even father's oldest sons receive much attention if they do something right, but when they do something wrong father gets very angry. It's not a good time to be near him. I really don't think that it is a good idea for him to have this hierarchy between his sons and our mothers. Apparently, though, this whole problem started when Leah and Rachel's father, Laban wouldn't let Rachel be married before Leah. Man, our family really needs some counselling.

I go to sleep each night just hoping that my brother will be all right, and that we are let out soon. I don't know how much longer our families can go without food.

Strangely, the next morning, we are awoken by the sound of our door opening. The governor stands in the doorway.

"You may take this grain back to your families," he says, "but I will keep your brother Rubin here until you prove that you are not spies, by showing me the youngest brother. You will not buy any more grain nor enter Egypt again unless he is with you. If you fail to do, so your brother here will die." He tells us in a voice that leaves no doubt, in my mind at least, that he is very powerful.

Outside the cell are bags of grain, already packed onto our animals for the long journey home. After walking for a day and a half, we stop because we are simply too tired to continue on without rest. When we open the bags of grain to feed the animals, we see the silver that we gave to the Egyptians at the top of the bags.

"Oh no," I moan. "Now the Egyptians will think us thieves as well as spies. This cannot be good. What have we done to deserve this?"

"How can we go back now, with the accusations we will surely receive upon return?" asks Levi. But then he questions himself. "But then, what about Rubin? Our father will never let us take Benjamin to Egypt now, so will he just be left to die?" he questions.

'This can't be a good sign, why is all this misfortune coming to us? Maybe this is our punishment for what we did to Joseph,' I think. But I don't dare share my opinions with the group, it would only have us fighting amongst ourselves. For now, we must stay strong as a group, if we ever want to make it out of this famine alive.

**AN: thank you to everyone who reads my stories . I had more plot than this but I wrote it around three years ago so looking back on it I do wonder where my mind was. So from now on I'm making a new new plot for this story fun. And you see that nice pretty now bigger button down there just go ahead and click it I dare you .**


	5. Chapter 5

** thanks to my beta disturbinglyprofound!**

Joseph and Ruben were sitting around on his roof a week after their brothers  
had left, drinking some of the wine Joseph had made before the famine  
started.

"This is wonderful wine, brother," Ruben commented.

"Potiphar is always asking me to make some for him," Joseph replied,  
nodding. "I gave him my recipe but he still says that it simply isn't the  
same. You see that land over there?" He pointed to the front of them. "Those  
were our vineyards. One thing I enjoy is making wine. It reminds me of  
home." Joseph took another sip of the slightly sweet wine.

"That's right," Ruben said. "Ever since you left, the wine has become  
bitter. But," he put down his wineglass, changing the subject abruptly,  
"what are you going to do when our brothers come back?"

"Well," said Joseph, "I am hoping that they will bring Benjamin with them.  
I'll invite them to dinner, since they've had a long trip. But how can I  
know if they've changed? Grown up? What should I do?"

Having been away from his family for so many years, he was taking full  
advantage of brotherly advice. Potiphar and himself had become extremely  
close, but the older man was his friend, not family and no mater how much  
they shared, Joseph knew that he could never truly be himself around his  
former master.

The person who Joseph was closest to, outside of his family, was Ednan, his  
steward. If someone had told either of the men that they would become such  
good friends, they would have called them foolish. In the beginning, Ednan  
couldn't stand Joseph; he was always calling him 'holy boy' and trying to  
make his life miserable. It took a while for the two of them to get along,  
but once they accepted each other, things were better between them.

Since the famine had started, it was one of the first times that Joseph's  
life was not completely busy. With less food, the number of banquets and  
dinners he needed to attend lessened. He was happy to have some time with  
his family as well, after going all over Egypt to oversee the food storage  
that had finished a year ago. By now, the people had gotten used to having  
to go to the silos for food, and all he needed to do was deal with larger  
groups of foreigners and the few duties of being on the Pharaoh's personal  
council.

With this newfound free time, Joseph was finally able to teach Ednan how to  
read and write. They got together a few times each week and Ednan was  
improving with each lesson. But it still wasn't the same as having his  
brothers with him.

"Hmm." Ruben said, thinking. "You could test them. Put them in a situation  
where they would be forced to abandon Benjamin, or choose one brother over  
another."

Joseph looked into the wine that he was swirling around in his cup,  
processing the idea. "Yes," he agreed, "that might work. But we need to  
catch them off guard... Maybe after they leave I can have Ednan bring them  
back. But why? They would surely want a reason..." Joseph pondered, looking  
at his cup. "That's it! We put one of my silver cups in Benjamin's sack of  
grain. When Ednan stops them he can accuse you of being thefts, and demand  
that the one who stole the cup must pay for it with their freedom."

As Joseph spoke, his excitement over the plan grew. "And when they open  
Benjamin's sack and find the cup, you will all be brought back to me. Then,  
the others will return to Father without Benjamin."

"That's true," said Ruben. "He wanted to come with us, but Father would not  
allow it. He said that if we didn't bring Benjamin back with us, he would  
die. So," Ruben confessed, "it will be not just that they value their  
brothers life, but they value fathers as well."

Joseph turned to look Ruben straight in the eye and said, "For this to truly  
work, I want you to be in favour of leaving Benjamin here with me. Of  
course, no matter what happens, he will be going back home to Father."

"I understand completely," said Ruben. "But shouldn't I go to the jail,  
before they come back, instead of just living lavishly with you? Won't they  
notice if I'm fine when they think that I'm being held against my will?"

"No," answered Joseph. "I know the head of the prison quite well, after  
spending so many years there. He knows to pretend that you are there, in  
case there are any questions. You can go roll around in the dirt, if you  
want, before they get here. But you are not going back in that jail for any  
amount of time." He spoke in a voice that left no argument as to what would  
happen.

It was one of the times when Ruben truly could see how his brother had grown  
into a man. "That's fine. I shouldn't have suggested it," Ruben said, after  
seeing his brother tense up.

"No, it's fine, it's just a bit of a touchy subject with me, after spending  
so many years there," Joseph said, shaking his head.

After a few moments of silence, Joseph spoke up again.

"On a more pleasant note, what do you think of Aaron?" he asked.

"He seems nice enough for someone in a relationship with my daughter, I  
suppose," Ruben replied, a bit disgruntled. She was his daughter, and all  
that he wanted to do was protect her. He knew that traditionally, it was  
supposed to fall on him to find a husband for his daughter, but Aaron seemed  
nice enough, and at the moment he couldn't think of anyone better, even if  
Aaron had nothing to offer him. Ruben couldn't bring himself to care about  
such trivialities.

Joseph laughed a bit. "Yes, that's true. What would you say if I was to sign  
his papers?" he then asked, turning very serious. "I can only assume that if  
he was free, he would ask your permission to be with Maya. Of course, they  
would be welcome to stay here. We have many different buildings and I could  
give him a good job at the silos for the rest of the famine."

"That would be fine, as long as she's happy and provided for," Ruben said,  
with more confidence then before.

"I'll give it to him tonight if its alright with you, he and I will just  
talk about it one on one." Joseph explained, before going into his office  
and, behind his desk, locating a locked box. A piece of papyrus emerged. He  
unrolled it to reveal a paper scrawled with writings of a different  
language, most notably hieroglyphics. He dripped some candle wax onto a box,  
which was nearby, and pressed his signet ring into it. To confirm the seal,  
Joseph marked it with his name. Then, he rolled it up and placed it back  
into the box behind his desk. Both brothers sat down now on opposite sides  
of the desk, sipping the wine that was left in their cups, in silence,  
reflecting on what had just happened.

After a moment, a household slave knocked on the door.

"Come in," Joseph commanded.

The slave entered and bowed her head. "Masters, dinner is served," she  
reported, before retreating.

"Well, shall we get on with things?" suggested Joseph. "Who knows how long  
we have until our brothers arrive once more? I would give them another two  
or three months until they return."

Ruben nodded, and together, the two men left for dinner.

-

As supper was ending, an hour later, Joseph looked over to Ruben, who subtly  
nodded his head. When the tables had been cleared, Joseph walked over to  
Aaron, who was leaving the room.

"May I speak to you in my office, Aaron?" said Joseph, with discretion.

"Of course, sir," Aaron replied, as formal as ever, even though he was  
staring to get a little nervous - he had no clue as to why his master would  
want to talk to him. He could only hope that it was not his master  
disapproving of his relationship with Maya. He thought back to the last time  
they had spoken about it; Aaron had assumed things were fine.

Soon, the two men arrived at Joseph's office.

"Please, have a seat," Joseph said, motioning to the chair across from his  
desk. Aaron sat on the edge of the offered seat, watching as Joseph went  
behind his desk. The older man took the locked box from the shelf it was  
sitting on and placed it on the desk. Then, he took a seat behind it and  
placed his hands in delicately folded manner in front of him.

"Aaron," he said, an intimidating set to his tone, "I am going to be frank."  
Aaron braced himself.

"Do you love Maya?" Joseph asked. The younger man breathed out in sheer  
relief.

"Of course, master," Aaron said without hesitation. If he was sure of one  
thing, it was that he loved Maya.

"Can you read?" Joseph questioned.

"Yes, a bit, master," Aaron said. Some of the more educated slaves had been  
teaching him. Joseph had made it clear that he wanted all of the household  
slaves to have at least basic literacy skills, to be able to read the notes  
their master left for them.

Joseph smiled at Aaron's honesty and pulled a key from his robes to unlock  
the box. Once he had done so, he pulled out the piece of papyrus he had  
stamped earlier.

"Take this, please." Joseph said, handing the rolled-up papyrus to Aaron,  
who took it uncertainly, wondering why Joseph was gifting him with it.

"Open it." Joseph said, when he saw that Aaron had made no move to do so.  
The young boy did as he was told and opened up the papyrus, then read the  
hieroglyphics. As he reached further down the scroll, he was only able to  
understand parts of it, but once he realized exactly what was being said,  
his eyes grew wide.

"Is this real, master?" Aaron asked in a shaky voice, still shocked by what  
he had seen, and hoping with all his heart that this was not in jest.

"Yes, Aaron. My niece couldn't be with a slave forever, so now you are both  
free. Don't worry, I've already spoken with Ruben about this." Joseph smiled  
indulgently. "You are not to address me as 'master,' Aaron. As we are almost  
family, you must call me Joseph."

"Thank you, mast- Joseph. Wait - I thought that your name was Zaphenath  
Paneah?" Aaron said, a bit confused.

"That is my official name, given to me by the Pharaoh, but Joseph is the  
name that my parents gave me," Joseph explained.

"I thought that Joseph was only your family name. I think I've heard that  
name before, I simply could not figure out when... oh! Joseph served  
Potiphar, did he not?" Aaron asked, connecting the dots in his head.

"Yes there were some... altercations that happened. Nothing true, of course,  
lies and rumors for the most part," Joseph replied. "No one else can know,  
though the past is the past, and with new names come new life stories. To  
the general population my background is filled with mystery and  
speculation."

He shook his head. The conversation was diverging. "But enough of this," he  
said finally. "You should find dear Maya - your new rooms are in the east  
hall. I trust you know your way."

With a sharp nod, Joseph left the room. Aaron stayed put in his chair and  
gave a sigh. He was free, finally, and could do what he wanted. He could be  
with Maya in public and not be met with the disapproving looks of society or  
worse, the possibility of punishment or death. His gaze crossed to the  
window, where he could see the sun setting, and knew that this was a fresh  
start. Joseph had told him his new life would not always be easy, but Aaron  
believed that as long as he was with Maya, he would be able to withstand any  
misfortunes that came his way.

**Thanks for reading please review!**


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